


Love is in the Air (Salonpas)

by xl_tt



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Birthday, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Humor, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, One Shot Collection, Other, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2018-09-15 20:53:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 13,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xl_tt/pseuds/xl_tt
Summary: A collection of random one-shots with the sweet volleyball lads. Ranging from fluff to smut to angst and so on.





	1. Oikawa Tōru - Of shovels and snow

**Author's Note:**

> These are all written from prompts I get [on my tumblr](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/), so if you would like to suggest something, you can do that there.
> 
> The reader is usually gender neutral and since these are written after requests, the POV is in second person. For now the rating is Teen and Up, but it will change once there will be some smut posted. I add a rating for each one-shot in chapter notes.
> 
> I totally agree that the title of this collection is the lamest pun ever in the existence and I am ashamed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa decided to use the weather conditions as a tool in conquering your heart. It might have not gone the way he had imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and Up. Fluff. Some really tiny suggestive themes. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/155131947785/i-hope-this-gets-in-but-if-not-please-delete)
> 
>  **Request:** I hope this gets in, but if not, please delete!  >< Oikawa's neighbor (reader, preferably female but neutral is okay!) sees him shoveling a lot of snow (maybe some of the snow in front of the neighbor's house too) one really cold day and decides to give him a cup of hot drink and snacks just as an act of kindness? Bonus if Oikawa is actually trying to woo the neighbor by shoveling the snow out of their yard lol thank you ♥

It had been at least half an hour and he was still there. You were peeking out of the window from time to time, at first only in a form of acknowledgement, then with a little confused curiosity, and later outright cheering on him in your mind.

The snow was almost a metre thick and more was constantly falling from the sky in thick, heavy bits, so much of it that by the next day there it was bound to be another quarter of a metre again.

But Oikawa was shovelling relentlessly like it didn’t matter.

He didn’t take even a single break until he finished clearing out the whole driveway to his tiny garage and that short path from his gate to his front door, making huge snowdrifts on the side.

He was all red and panting by the time he stabbed his shovel deep into the snow and straightened his back, looking around to admire his work.

You had been watching him for at least ten minutes by then and were quite seriously considering inviting him for a cup of tea or hot chocolate (planning to only say that you “ _accidentally_ saw him outside and thought that maybe he’d like to warm up a little”). But before you made any move, Oikawa wiped his forehead with his mitten and picked up the shovel. You were ready to give up, thinking that he’d simply go home, but…

But he scanned the perimeter and, apparently convinced that no one could see him, he started digging out the snow on your part of the yard.

You blinked and ran your hand through your hair.

Now _that_ really deserved a big cup of hot chocolate.

You wrapped a thick blanket around yourself and opened the front door, catching Oikawa just when he was about to throw more snow onto a quickly growing pile. He raised his head in surprise, but then he grinned like a kid that was caught doing something naughty while completely not feeling guilty about it.

“Yo-hooo, Neighbour-chan!” He waved to you and you realised that his mittens were shaped like cat paws and they would have looked like something he had stolen from a little girl if it wasn’t for the size.

You weren’t sure what to do with that information.

“Hi,” you replied, slightly baffled over the fact that he had somehow already managed to clear through more than a half of your pathway. “Thank you for…” You gestured in a general direction of the piles of snow he had made instead of finishing your sentence. That was the effect Oikawa had on you - words simply seemed to be escaping your brain, leaving you fumbling around to string together a proper line.

“No problem!” Oikawa grinned even wider. “I will be done soon.” He stood in a nonchalant pose, leaning on the handle of the shovel and tilting his head to the side. He sent you a smouldering look. “How about a cup of hot cho _OH CRAP…!_ ”

The shovel slipped.

Oikawa was so surprised that he didn’t even think of extending his arms before he fell right into the tallest pile he had made. He emerged right after with a goofy smile stretching his lips.

“All planned!” he announced, getting to his feet and in vain trying to pat off at least a bit of the snow clinging to his clothes and hair, which was how he noticed that his hat was still somewhere in the hole his body had made and he seemed to ponder whether he should even attempt a rescue search.

“Come in!” you called, holding yourself from laughing out loud. “You can’t possibly stay out there like this, you’ll catch a cold.”

You had no doubts that it was an outcome he was counting on, but you couldn’t mind it.

You had a plan of your own as well, after all. 

“I think I’ll finish here first, it’s really not a problem,” Oikawa said, rolling his eyes playfully. “But I’ll be happy to take you up on your sweet offer.”

“I think not,” you replied, resting your hands on your hips. “You’re covered in snow, it’s getting dark and this hot chocolate won’t drink itself.” You stepped back, extending your arm into the warm house.

Oikawa’s eyes seemed to shine in the indoor lights.

“I’ll just go change!” He grinned again. “Unless you don’t mind puddles of melted snow on your carpet.”

You decided not to say anything about not minding melted snow anywhere in your house, providing it dripped from Oikawa.

_No, wait. His clothes. Dripping from his clothes._

_Although, dripping from Oikawa himself…_

_Hmmm…_


	2. Haiba Lev - Cat Café

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an obvious choice for a first date with this beanpole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/149236924545/kuroo-and-also-lev-from-haikyuu-going-on-a-first)
> 
>  **Request:** Kuroo and also Lev from haikyuu going on a first date with a very short fem s/o? Thank you!  <3
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Kuroo](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/21028955).

It came as no surprise whatsoever when Lev led you to a cat café. It was no surprise either when it appeared that Lev had been a regular visitor there and was recognised by every single staff member (well, his appearance only made it easier).

It was, however, a bit of a surprise when you were recognised there instantly as well, even though it was the first time you had ever entered the place.

You titled your head up and glanced curiously at Lev while you were making your way towards the reserved table. He was biting his lips and trying to will his blush away.

“Why is it that they know me?” you asked once you sat down on a comfy bench next to one another and pulled a menu towards you.

Lev mumbled something incoherently.

“What did you say?”

“I… “ He giggled nervously. “Well, I come here often, and I kind of made some friends here, and I kind of- um- I kind of talked about you.”

You smiled and bumped your shoulder against his in that familiar gesture you had developed throughout the three years of high school you passed together, way before any of you were ready to admit that whatever it had been between the two of you, it definitely ventured beyond the line of “just friends”.

Your legs were dangling a little above the floor and you were swinging them lightly back and forth, while Lev’s long ones were stretched under the table so far that his feet were nearly poking from underneath the opposite edge.

“Ooh!” You grinned and reached down to pick up a huge, grey cat with green eyes. You looked back and forth between it and Lev. “This one looks like you.”

“That’s a Russian Blue.” A waitress with cat ears fixed on her head approached you to take your orders, and you chuckled at her comment.

Lev’s ears were burning.

You spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the cats and simply talking - one could say it wasn’t much different from how you usually used to spend time together, but the fact that your feelings were now out in the open (between you two, that is), made the atmosphere something entirely else. The touches or a brush of hand, or lingering glances, all those gestures that previously you would have called “accidental” didn’t seem accidental any more, and the more they made your heart beat faster.

And that slow, soft kiss after Lev had seen you to your door… well, that one was the most not-accidental thing of all.


	3. Kuroo Tetsurō - Ice rink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo knew he was no ice-skating prodigy, but he might have still just a little overestimated his skills there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/149236924545/kuroo-and-also-lev-from-haikyuu-going-on-a-first)
> 
>  **Request:** Kuroo and also Lev from haikyuu going on a first date with a very short fem s/o? Thank you!  <3
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Lev](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/21009458).

Ice-skating. You would have thought that since Kuroo suggested going to an ice rink when it came to discussing your first date, he would have been at least above average at it, considering how he had that low-key need to impress you.

Scratch that, it was _not_ low-key.

Hence, it made little sense when he himself revealed that he absolutely sucked at it, and the last time he went ice-skating was when he was still in primary school (and it ended up with him almost breaking his tailbone).

“I don’t mind teaching you,” you said while the both of you were tying up the skates. Yours were ridiculously small compared to Kuroo’s. “But how do you imagine me holding you up in case you lose balance?”

Spoiler alert: you didn’t.

That was how you and Kuroo ended up splayed on the ice more times than you could count, getting bruises and even some scratches from clutching each other in short-lived panic. But as much as it might have hurt, the whole evening was still fun and you had a good laugh together and topped it with a nice, big cup of hot chocolate in a nearby café, trying not to think how sore you would be the next day.

But, you thought to yourself when you were taking a shower after the long day, feeling those bumps and looking at the spots of discoloured skin, it was all totally worth it.

Especially that long, sweet kiss at the doorstep.


	4. Kageyama Tobio - What to avoid when trying to confess: a reflective guide from the King himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He tried. He really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Some humour. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/153151915010/what-to-avoid-when-trying-to-confess-a-reflective)
> 
> This one wasn't prompted by a request.

Kageyama wasn’t that stupid not to notice what was going on with him lately. He had listened to enough stories in the locker room (especially from Tanaka and Nishinoya), he had overheard his classmates gossiping, he had seen bits of cheesy dramas whenever his mother was watching them and he needed something from the living room.

Kageyama knew exactly why was he getting feverish and jittery around you.

It was an allergy.

That was the only reasonable explanation and he decided that the best possible solution was to stay away. So he did, as much as it was possible. Obviously, he couldn’t avoid you in the class since you were in the same batch, but any other time he was doing his best… although, truth to be told, not seeing you was not making him feel much better either.

So he continued to be utterly puzzled until one September day, his performance during the afternoon practise was an utter disaster and he was told to stay behind to have a Talk with the captain, vice-captain, and coach. Great.

The Talk lasted only ten minutes, but those were the longest ten minutes in his life, exams and boring lessons included. They were also the most embarrassing ten minutes, and Kageyama was scared to admit that even more embarrassing moments were awaiting him. Soon.

Because he surrendered and promised to follow Sugawara’s advice. True, it took him almost three months to come up with a plan (it did _not_ have anything to do with Hinata making fun of him for chickening out).

And that’s how he was stuck waiting at the steps to the locker rooms right after school. There was still an hour left before afternoon practise and coincidentally, his class ended the earliest today, so he hoped that there would be no interruptions.

So was he lost in his anxious thoughts that he didn’t notice you approaching until you were at an arm’s reach and you tentatively called his name. Kageyama’s heart stopped and then hammered faster than it had ever had during a game. And it was not slowing down. He had no idea whether he was pale or red, but he knew he had to sit down, or his knees would buckle. For some reason. Whatever it was.

And so the two of you ended up sitting on the steps side by side. That was a little less frightening for Kageyama - it didn’t seem weird when he didn’t look at you, it was just natural to simply stare ahead. 

Thing was, he had not said a single word for the past two minutes.

“Kageyama…” you started, shuffling your shoes against the tiles. “If, um… well, we have a test tomorrow, so…”

“Ilikeyouwillyougooutwithme.”

“… huh?” You turned to stare at him in complete bewilderment. Kageyama blurted it out so fast, whatever it was, that you only caught “you”, “out”, and “me”. His face was perfectly red and that alone made your own cheeks get warmer. “Sorry, could you repeat? I didn’t-”

Kageyama jolted to his feet and for a moment you thought he’d scramble away with the speed of light and leaving only a cloud of dust behind him, but he only took a step to stand in front of you, and quickly bowed full 90 degrees, making his bag do exactly the same thing it had done weeks ago when he had been struggling to make Tsukishima tutor Hinata and him.

His sudden movement catapulted the bag in an impressive arch over his back.

It landed square on your head, inside it pens, books, notebooks, lunchbox and all.

And the small carton of milk that Hinata gave him and Kageyama forgot about.

_Oh._

Now he remembered, since the impact must have ruptured the container and the contents - strawberry flavoured - beautifully spilled out of the bag, splashing onto your head, front, and lap.

Kageyama’s first thought was a deep regret over the fact that it wasn’t his head that got hit: at least that way, he could’ve died or at least get knocked out - or pretend that he was unconscious - and he wouldn’t have to deal with what followed. What was worse, he couldn’t make any sound at all, able only to watch in panic as his bag slid down and plopped onto the ground, leaving your hair an utter mess. Your face showed more shock than anyone who had witnessed the freak quick, and Kageyama’s stomach squeezed to the size of a 5 yen coin when he realised that it was NOT a result of something impressive.

Well, one could say that the number of screw-ups he had managed to commit within 5 minutes _was_ impressive.

His brain was firing the red alert and yelling at him to do everything at once. _RUN. Apologise. HAUL ASS! Oh holy shit, APOLOGISE! RUN! Dogeza! WHY ME?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH_

His confused body tried doing two things: get to his knees and run away at the same time. As a result, he tripped. Forward. Face first onto your feet.

By that point, Kageyama simply wanted to curl into a ball in some dark corner and cry. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for a thunder to strike him down, crawling backwards without raising his head.

“Are you okay?”

“… huh?” 

There was a hand on his shoulder, and another on top of his head, and even though they weren’t restraining him in any way, Kageyama stilled.

“Did you hit your head bad? Are you dizzy?”

“Huh…?” Kageyama slowly looked up. Your face was looming over his, shockingly (for him, at least) close, and yes, your hand was on his shoulder, even though you had withdrawn the other already. You smelled of the strawberry milk.

He felt how it spread: the beet-red flush started somewhere around his ears, and in a heartbeat it was burning his entire face. First his jaw dropped, then he pressed his face into the ground.

“I apologise!”

“It was… an accident, right?” you asked, and he was not prepared for how gentle it sounded. Kageyama heard that tone on the telly, and he did not believe someone would actually speak like this in real life, and it caught him completely off-guard.

Because yes, he did plan on confessing somehow, but as ridiculous as it was, he never thought that his feelings could actually BE reciprocated. Nowhere in those months. _At all._ And as awkward, inexperienced, clumsy, and hopeless he was in those things, once Sugawara had explained to him that no, it was not an allergy, some odd ends clicked together, some small switch flipped on in Kageyama’s brain and suddenly, he was _aware_. A tiny warm spark lit up in his chest.

“Y-yeah, it was,” Kageyama said to the gravel below him. Gravel had to know. Everyone had to know.

“Then it’s all right.”

He could _hear_ the smile in your voice. He memorised that smile over the past weeks, he memorised how it looked, how it sounded, how it was doing funny things with his brain. He didn’t dare to as much as even peek at you, though. He found it easier to talk to the gravel.

“I like you,” he said to it, loud and clear. There was no need to be scared of gravel. “Please go out with me.”

Gravel would be delighted.

“Y-you- you _like_ me?”

Kageyama was enough self-conscious to know where that disbelief came from.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Okay…?” He lifted his head. Smaller bits of gravel were for a moment stuck to his forehead before they fell off.

“Okay, I will go out with you, Kageyama.” You grinned and he was just about to cry again, but this time for an entirely different reason. You bit your lips and glanced away. “I like you, too.”

Kageyama closed his eyes in relief and let his body flop onto his side with a deep exhale.

He smiled when he heard you giggle.

“Wait…” He opened his eyes and frowned. “But I forgot to tell you to come here.” His brain shifted to a higher gear. “… how did you know?”


	5. Tsukishima Kei - Salty, oh, so salty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't exactly how Tsukishima expected his birthday to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and up. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/151096048175/salty-oh-so-salty)
> 
> This one wasn't prompted by a request, I wrote it for Tsukki's birthday last September.

_Stargazing sure is a nice thing to do_ , Tsukishima thought sourly while staring up into the starry sky. It was easy to spot stars without any light pollution around, since the nearest signs of civilisation were…

_Away._

What was worse, it was not up to him. It was up to his car, which broke down when he was on his way back to Miyagi, and seemed to be in no condition to start working any time soon. That was how he ended up stuck in the middle of nowhere at 2 AM, with no reception on his phone, and with little to no chance for an encounter of any passerby.

On his own birthday.

It was nearly mechanical by now: for the n-th time, Tsukishima raised his phone, dialled your number and tapped the call button, for a brief moment looking at your photo that lit up with it. It was from your trip to Hokkaido last Winter; you were standing next to a large, derpy T-Rex that the both of you sculpted from snow. Tsukishima brought up a tiniest smile before moving the phone to his ear, expecting to hear another “the number you are trying to reach is switched off or out of reception.”

“Kei?”

Tsukishima straightened up, almost dropping his phone.

“Can you hear me?”

“Um… it’s really fuzzy, but yeah, I can hear you,” you said slowly. “Where are you? Did something happen? You should’ve been here an hour ago, and all my calls couldn’t get through, I was worried sick-”

“I’m fine,” he cut you off. “My car broke. I’m about half an hour driving from home.” Tsukishima kept explaining where exactly he was stuck at, and you shortly informed him that you would be there soon, despite that he only asked you to call for roadside assistance.

So he waited. It was getting cold, freezing even, and he dreamed of a hot shower and then wrapping himself around you like a koala and having a good sleep in warm bed. He rubbed his hands together in hope of warming them up, but they were like made of ice, so he gave up and returned to watching the stars.

* * *

20 minutes later Tsukishima saw car lights in the distance, then he heard the engine, and then you pulled up and stopped at the roadside next to his own car. You jumped out and pretty much leapt into his arms, hanging from his neck and showering him with kisses.

“I was so worried,” you mumbled into his shoulder. Tsukishima circled you with his arms and patted your back.

“You were speeding,” he pointed out dryly. “It takes 30 to 40 minutes to get here.” He flicked your forehead. “Don’t do that, moron. Especially when it’s dark and you can’t see too far on the road.”

You muttered something incoherent, but then brightened up again.

“I’ve got hot tea in the thermos! And some cake. Well, you were supposed to see it after you wake up, but… the guy at r.a. dispatch said it will take around an hour, so we might just as well…”

“You don’t happen to have a blanket, do you?” Tsukishima asked sullenly.

“Oh, as a matter of fact, I do.” He could hear the smirk in your voice. “I figured you would get cold here. Get in my car, I’ll turn the heating on.”

You ended up having not a bad time in the backseat, sharing tea and cake (strawberry short, obviously), cuddled up under the blanket and watching the stars.

Things were just about to get into a more advanced stage… but it was exactly when you heard a large truck approaching, and Tsukishima had to pull back from a really messy kiss and sit up from where he was leaning over you.

Oh well. You both had a whole week off from work before you anyway.


	6. Kuroo Tetsurō - You said it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your hair still smells of last evening's bonfire and Kuroo's skin is still tingling with almost overwhelming happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and up. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/153319604990/you-said-it)
> 
> This one wasn't prompted by a request, I wrote it for Kuroo's birthday in November, which is my birthday as well!

Kuroo woke up because sun was shining right in his face, which was one big disadvantage of your bed. The other, well, maybe wasn’t entirely a bad thing, but even having to cuddle close to fit together on such a narrow bed could get a little irritating after a while.

He frowned, turning to hide his face in whatever part of you was the closest.

“Mhhh?”

“Sleep, sleep,” Kuroo mumbled hoarsely. “It’s still early.”

Your hair smelled of bonfire smoke from last evening, and before he fell back asleep, Kuroo’s mind involuntarily dragged him into the memory of it.

* * *

_The evening was cold but clear, forest quiet, without any wind to move the branches and shake off the last Autumn leaves. The bonfire was huge and crackling, filling the air above with countless sparks and radiating delightful warmth. Lev was still roasting marshmallows that Alisa had brought home from her vacation in America (he was at the third packet now), Kenma was silently staring into the fire, Inuoka, Yaku, and Tora were talking about the upcoming match._

_Kuroo and you were sitting on the low bench next to Lev, heads titled to one another and simply enjoying the evening. Kuroo’s eyes were wandering around, sometimes staring at the burning wood, sometimes at the brilliant stars above, but mostly looking at the hands you had linked and rested on your lap._

* * *

You stirred awake when Kuroo pressed his face into your chest. He muttered something incoherent to you and started snoring lightly right after, but you had your share of sleep and although you were as groggy as anyone after waking up, you didn’t feel like drifting off again. You were wrapped around each other like an unsolvable puzzle, comfortably warm under the thick winter duvet, and… oh. Still quite naked.

You grinned to yourself and ran your fingers through Kuroo’s disastrous bedhead, staring at the pictures of the two of you that were hanging on the wall next to your bed. Not all of them were of you as a couple. 

Some of them were two, three, four, five years old, reaching as far back as second year of your middle school, when you had transferred to Kuroo’s class and met him for the first time. The earliest was from the Winter Cup finals, you were the team manager in middle school, and Kuroo was a regular - not a captain - and your team managed to win the second place. That was pure friendship there; nothing romantic yet, just two kids who had known each other for 8 months being absolutely excited about their success.

There was also a photo which, when you were looking at it now, was making you nearly facepalm every time. The mutual crush you had on each other was so ridiculously obvious in it that it was baffling to you how weren’t you dating back then already. The completely done Kenma in the background made the photo even more hilarious.

* * *

_Inuoka was giggling at Lev, who had eaten his last marshmallows and was currently mourning the empty bags. Fukunaga finally came back from the shop, carrying sparklers (since he forgot to bring the ones they had originally bought for the occasion) and he was immediately surrounded by the two former and Taketora._

_There was so much to look at, not just the fire, the stars, and the sparks from the small fireworks. Kuroo couldn’t tear away his gaze from your face, from how it was gorgeously illuminated by all those light sources, from that small, gentle smile when you were observing your sparkler. Your nose was a little pink from the cold and his scarf around your neck looked beyond heartwarming._

_You looked up at him. It was all shining in your eyes, melting together with that smile, and Kuroo felt his heart strike a couple of almost painful beats at the sight. He had never felt so shocked in his life before._

_It was perfect._

_The light was perfect._

_The evening was perfect._

_You were prefect._

_“I love you,” he said with amazement in his voice. “I really do love you.”_

_Your eyes grew big and round and you parted your lips to speak._

* * *

Kuroo scrunched up his nose and opened his eyes. Your fingers were idly combing through his hair.

“Good morning,” you purred. He could actually feel it, the vibrations of your words, since his face was pressed to your chest. He blinked three times, brushing your skin with his eyelashes, before he pulled back a little to look at you.

“Morning.” He yawned and smiled. 

He nuzzled your neck and planted a slow kiss on your throat. His body was tired and aching, but in the best way possible. He could sense your heartbeat under the pads of his fingers, he could hear your breath, the birds singing outside, the cars driving by.

It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, not really, but what he had said yesterday so suddenly - and the reply he had received - just that had given a new taste to your life.

It was both calming and breathtaking at once.


	7. Ukai Keishin - 3:49 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hour is early and it's tough to get out to work, but it's not that bad with you around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/151722111550/349-am)
> 
> This one wasn't prompted by a request. I wrote it after I heard that Tanaka Kazunari (Ukai's seiyuu) had passed away and wanted to cheer myself up a bit.

4 AM wasn’t in any way a desirable hour to wake up, never mention to start work. That did not, however, mean that waking up at 3:30 AM, when the dawn was still far ahead, was entirely awful, since Ukai didn’t have to wake up in an empty bed.

The light of the bedside lamp was dim enough to save you from disturbing your sleep, but it made the shapes in the room easily recognisable to an eye accustomed to the dark. That included your own form, and Ukai spent a good moment appreciating how peaceful you looked. Your face was completely relaxed, without a frown nor a smile, but there was some happy tint to it that made Ukai all warm on the inside. 

He reached out to carefully cup your cheek and graze your smooth skin with his calloused thumb and he couldn’t help but to smile himself when you automatically turned your head to nuzzle his hand with a little sigh without even waking up. He leaned down and gently kissed your hair and got up to drag himself to the bathroom, then change into his farm clothes, and then prepare breakfast to take with him.

At 3:49 AM, he got back to the bedroom to find you still soundly asleep. You mumbled something that sounded like “pancakes” and he grinned before he kissed the top of your head.

He picked up and slipped on the gold ring that was waiting for him on the nightstand, turned off the small lamp, and left the house to start another sunny morning at the farm.


	8. Bokuto Kōtarō - An actual surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto's 18th birthday was more surprising than either of you expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and up. Fluff. Tiny suggestive themes mention. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/150700884265/an-actual-surprise)
> 
> This one wasn't prompted by a request, I wrote it for Bokuto's birthday last September!

Bokuto didn’t mind that it was raining since the early morning. He wasn’t dejected over the fact that he overslept and then missed the bus, and arrived late to practise. He wasn’t bothered that some nasty kid hid his school shoes and he and Akaashi had to look for them for 15 minutes and got late to class because of it.

After all, it was his birthday, his 18th birthday, and ever since he woke up, he had been getting wishes left and right, shouts from his siblings before he left for school, hugs, texts, phone calls, even a bag of cookies from his old neighbour lady, a Happy Birthday song and lots of pats on his back from the team (and a new pair of his favourite brand kneepads), the teacher let his tardiness slide by, and even his classmates were actually nice for a change.

He did get dejected, though, once he realised that you not only didn’t say anything, but you actually didn’t arrive at school in the first place, sending him only a text that “something came up” and you would be busy until afternoon. No mention of “Happy Birthday”, no wishes, ha - not even a single smiley in your message. Now, Bokuto wasn’t _that_ stupid and the first thing he assumed was that you were preparing some sort of surprise for him and were only feigning that you didn’t remember about such an important day, but with each passing hour, doubts were gnawing at him more and more.

By the end of classes he was in such foul mood that he was literally dragging his feet on his way to afternoon practise, something completely unheard of. He sent you several texts, but it seemed that your phone was turned off and you showed no signs of acknowledging his existence whatsoever.

Everyone could clearly see that he was really upset, and Akaashi’s attempts to pull him back into a playful mode proved futile, which resulted in Bokuto making a mistake after a mistake, and that only made his mood worse. On top of that, he began seriously worrying about you, and since his calls were going straight to your voicemail, Akaashi seemed surprised when Bokuto mentioned the problem, so he also was nervous. He decided to stop by your house.

Except… you weren’t home either. No one was.

What if you were in some accident and ended up in a hospital? Bokuto was biting his nails and sat at your front gate, determined to stay there as long as it took to get to see you.

He barely plopped down when his phone went off. He frantically grabbed it out of his pocket, almost dropping it onto the ground, and only briefly glanced at the screen to see that the call was from you.

“Yes?”

“Kō?” It really was your voice.

“Sweetcakes?!” Bokuto jumped to his feet. “What- where are you? Where have you been all day?!”

Your neighbour’s window opened and Bokuto was rudely told to keep it down.

“I’m kind of… stuck,” you admitted in a thin tone. “I was in the basement and then I got locked in, and parents left, so I tried to get out through the window, and, um… I’ve been here for the past 4 hours, and I’ve just managed to reach my phone.”

“Eeeeh?” Bokuto dumped his backpack and climbed the fence. He heard cloth tearing when he jumped down onto your lawn, but he couldn’t care less, sprinting towards the back of your house instead.

There you were, with an utterly defeated and embarrassed expression, upper half of you sticking out of the tiny window. Bokuto dropped to his knees, utterly baffled.

“You were here the entire day?”

“Just 4 hours,” you mumbled on the verge of tears. “I told you. I wanted to get god damn bloody potatoes, and someone locked the door. It took me all this time to pull out my phone. What a fail…” You averted your eyes with a scowl.

“Hey hey hey, don’t worry about that,” Bokuto murmured, leaning down to your level to kiss the top of your head. “Let’s get you out first.” He tilted his head to the side, biting his lip. “Just… how?”

It took more than a half of an hour of tugging, groaning, and whining to pull you out, leaving the both of you splayed on the lawn and panting, and in your case also coughing your lungs out.

“My parents should be back soon,” you said. “Aaaaargh, I wanted to make an awesome surprise dinner for you, with-” You gasped, hastily sitting up and clutching your head. “Oh my god. You must have thought I forgot! Oh my god.”

Bokuto perked up and grinned.

“Now I know that you didn’t!” He tackled you to the ground, smothering you in kisses. “Best birthday ever!”

“… best birthday ever,” you repeated a deadpan face. “Really?”

“Okay, maybe not,” he admitted, pouting, but then he smiled widely again. “But now it got better!”

“Well, thank god I baked the cake first.” You sighed, hugging him tightly.

“Cake, yaaaaay!”

You had to wait for your parents, since this time you were locked out of the house, and once they arrived, you pulled Bokuto inside and made him wait until you lit the candles on the cake. His eyes were glimmering when you brought it in and he went silent for a moment, thinking a wish before he blew them all out in one exhale.

A slice (in Bokuto’s case, 4 slices), 3 ordered pizzas, tea, and another slice (Bokuto had 3 more) later, the two of you nested yourselves in his bed, a tangle of limbs and snuggled close with content smiles.

“So… happy birthday, Kō,” you murmured, punctuating it with a sweet, slow kiss. Bokuto hummed sinking his fingers into your hair. “And about your gift…” You went silent, blushing all of a sudden.

“What is it?” Bokuto asked with wide eyes, blushing as well simply because he saw your red face.

“Well, we are both 18 now, so I thought, um…”

Bokuto’s eyes turned completely round and he was sure that steam was about to whistle out of his ears.

“Oh. _Oooooh?_ ”

That was all he managed to say before flipping you onto your back and throwing himself into a fervent kiss.

It wasn’t the only thing he uttered that night, though.


	9. Tsukishima Kei - New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the way you greet it under the light of the fireworks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and Up. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/156222500455/teru-san-id-like-to-request-tsukki-and-his-gf)
> 
>  **Request:** Teru-san❤ I'd like to request Tsukki and his gf watching fireworks together then she stands on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his lips sooo they're kissing when a very big and beautiful firework explode❤❤ thanks, I love you and your amazing works

“TEN!”

“NINE!”

You pulled Tsukishima by his elbow to make him lean down to your level.

“EIGHT!”

“Ready for another year together?” you murmured right into his ear to get the words through the noise.

“FIVE!”

“FOUR!”

“Looking forward to it.” Tsukishima picked the split moment between the countdown to reply without raising his voice much.

“THREE!”

“TWO!”

“ONE!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The town square suddenly was illuminated by a breathtaking composition of colourful fireworks, exploding yellow, green, red, white, pink, blue, all at once and in well-planned sequences. Tsukishima entwined his fingers with yours and slipped your joined hands into the pocket of his winter jacket to keep them warm while you watched the show without the need to say anything yet.

You squeezed his hand briefly two times to get his attention and he looked down to you in his usual calm, unhurried way under the flashes that were ceaselessly reflecting in his glasses nearly every second. You reached up and tugged at his collar, raising on your tiptoes at the same time, and managed to land a kiss - a little off the course, on the corner of his lips instead of the middle, but it was a nice kiss nevertheless.

“Oooh?” Tsukishima cocked his head to the side with a small smirk. “That’s the best you can do for the first kiss of the year?”

“I’m definitely not jumping up on an icy pavement to reach that 4th floor your head is at.” You pouted mockingly.

“Hooow smart,” Tsukishima remarked, taking a step to stand in front of you and wrap his free hand around your waist.

“Shut up, Tsukki,” you drawled, tilting your head up. Tsukishima shrugged and leaned down, lightly brushing his chapped lips against yours before pressing them gently together.

It was fortunate that you were at the sidelines and mostly obscured by bare bushes that helped you to be fairly well hidden from other people’s stares, because Tsukishima did not plan to let you go until your lungs couldn’t go without oxygen any more.

“That’s how you do it,” he whispered against your lips.

He was holding onto the hem of your coat’s hood to cover up the details, and the noise muffled out the quiet gasping for air and that one tiny moan that you slipped up with when he licked into your mouth.

You totally missed the best part of the fireworks show.

Oh well.

There were more to come, new years, and summer festivals, and carnivals, and whatever else you could think of together.


	10. Kageyama Tobio - Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama accompanies you on your walk home from school for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/156584502055/can-i-request-some-playtime-in-the-snow-with)
> 
>  **Request:** Can I request some playtime in the snow with Kageyama? It can be headcannons or a drabble, whatever you feel like writing!

There was a reason why Kageyama was so ridiculously antsy during practise this afternoon. He was set on walking you home after school for the first time and he had been restless about it since the day prior, when you had asked him and he had given his lame, stuttered “yes” in reply.

Hence once the practise was over, he was done with wrapping up three times as fast as usual, even though your club activities weren’t about to end for another 20 minutes. When you finally showed up at the school entrance, he was almost frozen through, but it took him one glance at your small blush, he instantly felt all warmed up.

Kageyama listened intently as you were talking about your day and did his best to answer your questions about his own. He was so taken by the task that he noticed you missing only when he gathered the courage to brush his hand against yours… except your hand wasn’t there.

Kageyama blinked, bewildered, and turned around.

SPLAT.

“H-hey!” he yelped, wiping snow from his face. His angry scowl disappeared immediately when he saw you giggling and forming another snowball.

Now _that_ was something he could do without being hopelessly embarrassed.

“Tsukishima from my class said that you tried to set a snowball last week and it hit you right on the head!” You giggled, ducking to avoid his missile. “That’s so cute!”

It wasn’t anything new, but Kageyama really wanted to murder Tsukishima.

“I didn’t!” His face was red and he knew it. Before he said anything more, however, you slipped on the icy pavement and fell backwards into a huge snowdrift.

You started laughing and he stepped closer. It was his golden chance: he would offer his hand to you, pull you up, and then he would pretend he forgot to let go of you.

Kageyama didn’t expect you to actually pull him down, but his reflexes were quick enough to save him from dropping completely on top of you. He dived sideways into the snowdrift right next to you with eyes wide in surprise. Your faces were very, very close to one another and his brain was struggling to comprehend the situation.

You shuffled even closer and kissed the tip of his nose.

Kageyama was about to gush steam out of his ears while you got to your knees, and swept an armful of snow from the pile around you onto him, then you stood up, ready to run.

He chased after you, throwing snowballs, smiling happily when you laughed.


	11. Sawamura Daichi - Necessity of a surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's better than having a whole day off? The answer is: spending the day off with your boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158285493505/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-with-ushiwaka-daichi)
> 
>  **Request:** Kissing under the mistletoe with ushiwaka, daichi, Tanaka, noya and kyotani?
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Kyōtani](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22800173), [Tanaka](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22875132), [Nishinoya](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22961862), [Ushijima](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/23001048).

_What's better than having a whole day off?_

_The answer is: spending the day off with your boyfriend._

You took the advantage of that day by sleeping in late, having a lazy breakfast in bed, cuddling, taking shower together, going for a walk and playing in snow, having dinner in your favourite restaurant, watching sunset, and taking a slow stroll home.

Sawamura seemed a little antsy the entire time, though, and he wouldn’t say what had been on his mind when you asked. He was certainly enjoying the day as much as you did, but you still couldn’t help but wonder, and by the time you had finished that dinner, you had an inkling on what had caused his mood.

It wasn’t until you returned home and closed the front door behind you that he stopped you before you managed to unzip your jacket in the dark hallway and he pointed at something above your head.

“I know it’s really cheesy,” he muttered with an awkward chuckle.

“A mistletoe,” you said, “isn’t it? I couldn’t really tell, it’s too dark in here… but wasn’t it here the whole day?”

“You knew?” he asked blankly. 

“ _No…_ ” You grinned.

Well, so much for his surprise-preparation skills.

Sawamura shrugged, grinning right back at you. He cupped your face and pressed his lips firmly against yours, tugging at the zipper of your jacket himself.

It wasn’t like a surprise was all that necessary anyway.


	12. Kyōtani Kentarō - A plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyōtani has a keen eye and there are some interesting things to be noticed in the local park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158285493505/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-with-ushiwaka-daichi)
> 
>  **Request:** Kissing under the mistletoe with ushiwaka, daichi, Tanaka, noya and kyotani?
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Daichi](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22695743), [Tanaka](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22875132), [Nishinoya](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22961862), [Ushijima](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/23001048).

You scrunched up your nose when a large lump of snow fell off a tree branch and landed square on your hat. Kyōtani snorted and stretched his lips in a small smile that disappeared promptly when you formed a snowball and threw it right at the side of his head. His dog bounced around, barking happily and urging both of you to play with her.

It was a first snowy and sunny Saturday and you couldn’t imagine saying no when Kyōtani had asked you out for a walk in the nearby park. With the pup, of course.

You laughed and leaned down, shuffling snow into the air and towards the dog the same way you’d splash water in a pool. The dog jumped aside and sprinted a narrow circle around you before stopping abruptly with her behind high in the air and her front pressed to the ground, tail waving.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when Kyōtani unexpectedly wrapped his arms around you from behind in a tight hug and laughed, too, when you fell into a huge snowdrift by one of the trees. That was the curious thing about him - as wary and reluctant to show his friendly side he usually was, presence of any animal was turning his attitude around.

You stared up into the clear sky, between the branches and - _and ooooh._

_Would you look at that._

“Hey, Kentarō,” you whispered with a sly smile. “Look.”

“Are you talking about the mistletoe?” he asked and you could’ve sworn there was a smug tint to his voice.

Your eyes widened.

“You noticed?”

Kyōtani sat up and pulled you along, but it seemed that his confidence ran out with that last move. He averted his gaze away from you and the tips of his ears turned pink. He muttered something incoherently.

“What did you say?” You narrowed your eyes and leaned closer.

“I noticed it last week,” he mumbled.

“So this was your plan all along?” You giggled.

“Yes.” Kyōtani stared at you defiantly despite the deep blush on his cheeks. “So what?”

You shuffled closer and pressed a soft, brief kiss on his lips.

“So this…”


	13. Tanaka Ryūnosuke - Headshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nishinoya is always there whenever you want to want to utilise your mischievous plots regarding your boyfriend, Tanaka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158285493505/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-with-ushiwaka-daichi)
> 
>  **Request:** Kissing under the mistletoe with ushiwaka, daichi, Tanaka, noya and kyotani?
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Daichi](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22695743), [Kyōtani](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22800173), [Nishinoya](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22961862), [Ushijima](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/23001048).

Tanaka did not see it coming. There was no mistletoe in the gym, after all, and you still had your classes, right?

 _Wrong_ and _wrong_.

He would’ve never expected you would ask Nishinoya to carry out such a clever plan - or rather, carry a mistletoe branch, climb the ladder and wait for Tanaka himself to come right under the balcony inside.

As such, he thought nothing much when you called him over, although your wide and a bit flustered smile should’ve made him a little suspicious. But Tanaka always found it difficult to think when seeing you smile to begin with, so it wasn’t nothing out of the ordinary.

“”sup!” He grinned, hoping that the droplet of sweat that ran down his temple was only a figment of his imagination.

“I’ve got an important message, but you have to stand right here!” You beamed. Only you knew how tightly you were squeezing your toes in your shoes.

Tanaka frowned, but he walked up to the exact spot you pointed at. He was standing so close that he could smell your perfumes and, oh boy, his batteries for today’s practise were suddenly full charged.

“Yeah? What’s tha message?”

You simply pointed your finger up and his eyes followed.

“No… ya…?” A side of Tanaka’s upper lip raised in confusion while his frown deepened.

“Not _me_ , Ryū!” Noya yelped. “ _This!_ ” He waved the mistletoe and Tanaka gasped. “THIS! THIII- _oops._ ”

Nishinoya was shaking the poor plant so hard that it slipped out of his grasp and fell right on your head. You giggled and took it off.

“Tha’s mistletoe, right?” Tanaka asked like he was scared that you were holding an explosive.

“Yes! And you know what that means, Ryūnosuke?” You smirked despite the full-blown blush burning your cheeks (and you were still better off than this poor boy).

“Tha-that… um…”

“That you owe me a kiss,” you whispered.

“R-right… a… a kiss…”

You didn’t expect Tanaka to react so quickly, which lead to a ridiculously embarrassing miscalculation on both sides.

Tanaka intended to kiss your cheek, you thought he’d go for the lips.

You got his nose in your eye instead.


	14. Nishinoya Yū - Extra studies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or how Nishinoya can utilise anything to postpone studying while enjoying his time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158285493505/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-with-ushiwaka-daichi)
> 
>  **Request:** Kissing under the mistletoe with ushiwaka, daichi, Tanaka, noya and kyotani?
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Daichi](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22695743), [Kyōtani](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22800173), [Tanaka](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22875132), [Ushijima](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/23001048).

The first Friday of December this year was not what Nishinoya would call a good day for him. He was late to practise, then he was late to class; and in class, the teacher handed off the test results and he got 39 points. Of all the scores out there, he _had to_ get one just below the passing threshold. 

Not that this alone would bother him all that much, it wasn’t the first time and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. But when all the vending machines in the whole school were out of his favourite snack and when he discovered that the pickle in his bento was spoiled - which he noticed when that pickle was already in his mouth - even Nishinoya had to admit that this Friday sucked.

Well, he thought to himself, at least he was about to spend the afternoon and the evening at your house. _Studying_ , yes, but at least he got to see you.

With that in his head, Nishinoya waited outside of your classroom after his own classes for ended, intending to walk home with you. There was a little happy bounce to his steps, loaded in by the prospect of finally seeing you after such a nasty day.

Your friends left the classroom and informed him that you were allowed to go home two hours ago because you weren’t feeling well.

Nishinoya wanted to repeatedly bang his head against the wall.

* * *

Nishinoya wasn’t entirely sure if he should pay you a visit if you were ill, but he decided that it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if he checked up on you and brought you some sweets to lighten up your mood.

That was how he ended up at your doorstep with a bag full of pocky and chocolate. You opened the door and with relief Nishinoya saw that you didn’t look sick or anything - maybe a only little tired and sleepy. At the sight of him, however, you immediately brightened up and invited him in, and Nishinoya felt that the bounce in his steps had returned.

He had a nasty piece of homework to go through - from his English class, no less, and what was even worse, it was a reading exercise. The text took up two whole pages and talked about various Western Winter traditions, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he had to struggle with understanding grammar in every sentence, he might have found it interesting. 

At that moment, Nishinoya one-hundred-percent shared Kageyama’s reluctance to studying English.

Or just studying anything in general.

Yeah, that was it.

“A common… tra… di… tion is kissing under mi… mistle… toe. Missile toe,” Nishinoya read slowly. “What was _tradition_ again? And _missile toe_? Why are they kissing under toes?” He laughed.

“It’s _mistletoe_ , not _missile toe_.” You giggled. “It’s a plant. You kiss a person you see under a branch of _mistletoe_. And _tradition_ is-”

“Is this a drawing of _missile toe_?” Nishinoya cut in, pointing at a small black-and-white illustration at the bottom of the text.

“Um… I think so?” You leaned closer to the book with a frown, forgetting to correct his wording.

Nishinoya grinned, grabbing the textbook and raising it above your head.

“You’re under a _missile toe_ now! We need to kiss!”

You narrowed your eyes, ignoring a little blush that spread on your cheeks. Nishinoya puckered out his lips as much as it was possible when he couldn’t stop himself from grinning at the same time, making himself look absolutely hilarious. You shook your head in defeat and kissed the corner of his mouth before snatching the textbook from him and patting his head with it.

“Back to work,” you said with a smile.


	15. Ushijima Wakatoshi - Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olympics are over and you just can't wait to get your hands on him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** Teen and up. Angst. Fluff. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158285493505/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-with-ushiwaka-daichi)
> 
>  **Request:** Kissing under the mistletoe with ushiwaka, daichi, Tanaka, noya and kyotani?
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Daichi](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22695743), [Kyōtani](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22800173), [Tanaka](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22875132), [Nishinoya](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/22961862).

Finally finally finally finally finally FINALLY.

The Olympics ended. True, Japanese volleyball team didn’t score even a brown medal, but the event was over and done, and now Ushijima was going home. There was no way for you to go with him to the other side of the globe, not when you just started a new job and taking a month off was out of the question, so you had spent this whole time alone, with rare phone calls and texts.

That simply was what Wakatoshi was like - a brief conversation over the phone was enough to charge his batteries for a half of the day, training included. You had gotten used to it over the seven years you had been together and although there was still that twinge of neglect hanging in the air, you knew that it absolutely wasn’t the case. Wakatoshi didn’t lie nor waste his time on things he wasn’t serious about, after all.

You hummed happily, tying a ribbon above your shared bed, and then attaching a little twig of mistletoe to it. You had no doubt that even if it was one leaf glued to the wall, Wakatoshi was going to notice and recognise it right away. He would then pretend he didn’t spot it, though - something that he had learned three of four years prior was that leaving that bit of making a theatrical surprise to you was somehow better.

Wind was sending snow to and fro in the dark behind the window while you were taking a shower. Out of habit your eyes traced over a hairline-width, long crack in the glass door. It had been there for the past two years as a result of Wakatoshi slipping and hitting it with his elbow. That was the last time you did anything beyond kissing in shower. You bit your lips with a smile. It wasn’t all that funny right when it happened, but now you sure could laugh.

You turned off the water, dried your skin and hair, put on your warm pyjamas, picked up a book and went to bed. There were still two hours until 1AM. Two hours more and he’d be back home, and would play along with his terrible acting skills that he didn’t expect the mistletoe, and you could cuddle up tight and warm and fall asleep together.

* * *

You scrunched up your nose.

“This is not a healthy pose to sleep in,” calmly said a voice you knew so well. “Your back will hurt.”

Your book was lightly slid out of your grasp. You opened your eyes and smiled sleepily. Wakatoshi was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting the book away on the nightstand. He was still in his travel clothes, save for his hat, jacket, and shoes, tips of his hair were wet with melted snow, and his cheeks and nose were a little red from the cold.

“Welcome back,” you mumbled, sitting up straight to wrap your arms around him. Wakatoshi hummed and hugged you as well, tilting his head to yours.

“Tired and sleepy, are we?” you asked softly, helping him out of his sweater. Wakatoshi yawned and took off his tshirt, socks, and jeans. He didn’t bother with putting on any pyjamas and slipped under the duvet just in his underwear.

“It’s been a long day,” Wakatoshi stated quietly. “And I’m jet-lagged.”

He seemed to ponder something for a moment while you nestled next to him, laying your head on his shoulder and wrapping your thigh over his.

“Do you have a surprise for me?” he murmured.

“What an impatient man you are today, Toshi…” you teased. “How could you possibly have known I had a surprise for you?”

You didn’t wait for the rest of the usual scene. You raised yourself on your elbows and dipped your head to brush your lips over his with a happy sigh. Wakatoshi ran his hands up and down your back and then dived his fingers between your hair, pulling you closer, pressing your lips tighter, canting his head to the side. He slipped his tongue into your mouth and you closed your eyes, melting into his embrace.

Neither of you were able to let go of each other until you really, really needed air. You pulled back a fraction, taking deep breaths against Wakatoshi’s lips.

“I missed you,” you whispered, cupping his face in your hands and brushing the pads of your thumbs over the pale sunken shadows under his eyes.

Wakatoshi sighed and kissed the top of your forehead, pulling lightly your shoulder to make you lay down and cuddle again. He reached out over to your nightstand and turned off the small lamp.

“So did I,” he replied in his deep voice.

It was so good to fall asleep to the sound of his steady breath and feeling his calm heartbeat under your palm.

* * *

You jolted awake.

You squinted your eyes in the light from the nightstand lamp that was way too bright at this time of night.

“What the-”

You frantically groped around for your phone and picked up the call. There was no sound indicating that Wakatoshi woke up and you closed your eyes briefly in relief.

“Ushi-chan, you- you there?”

“Tendō, why the hell are you calling me at 2 AM?” you jabbed in a hushed voice, temporarily ignoring that he used that pesky nickname for you again.

“We had- we had an acci- _aaargh-_ we had an accident, thi- oh, I think my leg is broken, hahahaha- this is fucking sca-sca-ry-ry-”

You stared at the freshly cleaned, spotless carpet next to the bed like it was crawling with worms. Tendō’s voice was higher-pitched and creepier than usual. 

“Satori, what accident?” you asked slowly.

“The car, _oh_ , it’s upside down now,” Tendō giggled like he was unable to tell a joke without losing his composure.

“Satori, _what the hell?_ ” you hissed. “Are you drunk?”

There were voices and noise audible beside Tendō’s own babble and you assumed he was at some sort of party, or perhaps he was walking back from one with his friends.

“I think he didn’t make it, Ushi-chan,” Tendō said, this time sounding completely sober. And scared.

“Who- who- what? Tendō, what are you even talking about? Where are you?”

“Wakatoshi.” Tendō coughed. 

Your heart squeezed to a chestnut size and stopped for a moment. Tendō must have moved the phone away from his face and said something, but the noise made it impossible to read.

“That truck hit his side of the car before we fell down.”

“Satori, you idiot, Wakatoshi got home an hour ago, what are you-”

Tendō kept talking despite your interruptions. You clenched your teeth, determined to wake up Wakatoshi for a second and have him speak to Tendō directly. You sat up, you felt when something slipped off your lap, and then you heard a quiet thud. You frowned and looked at the carpet.

Your book.

_Come to think of it, didn’t Wakatoshi turn off the lamp?_

“Toshi?”

You didn’t remember him picking up the clothes he left on the floor before he went to bed, and yet, the carpet was clear of any items save for your book.

You swallowed thickly. Tendō was bouncing back and forth between shock and sobriety, still talking on the phone, but none of it was getting through to your mind.

“Toshi, hey, wake up,” you called, still staring at the carpet and not daring to look away. “Wakatoshi, wake up.”

There was no response. You squeezed your eyes shut and slowly, very, very slowly, turned your head to face his side of the bed. Then you opened your eyes.

It was untouched.

Empty.

“Wa-Waka-Wakatoshi…?” you uttered. “Wakatoshi?”

There was some scratchy noise on Tendō’s side and then the call was cut, replaced by steady beeping until even that died out.

“TOSHI?!”


	16. Sugawara Kōshi - Exhibits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hearing here or there that Daichi and Suga should get together wasn't all that uncommon and usually meant as a joke. But one does look at it differently when actually _being_ in a relationship with the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Angst. Fluff. Male reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/158633137980/could-you-do-a-mm-for-sugawara-where-his-so-feels)
> 
>  **Request:** Could you do a M/M for Sugawara where his SO feels kinda jelly because everyone thinks Suga's with Daichi? (He doesn't hate Daichi or anything but he gets upset when people say they'd (suga and dai) be cute together when he's with Suga? If that makes sense?)

⦁ _Exhibit #1_

It wasn’t like the day itself was bad.

You had been entirely convinced you had messed up last week’s physics test, and yet today you were handed a graded paper with a lovely 57 written on it, whole 17 points more than required to pass.

True, the lock in the bathroom stall you went in somehow got jammed and you couldn’t get out during the break and were late to classic literature class and got scolded for it, but you weren’t told to stay afterwards. So in the end, you were still lucky.

The cafeteria lady that you had befriended in your second year was nice enough to store away your favourite before they ran out and although it was a little squished in the package, it was still tasty.

But then, there was _that_.

_That._

“Don’t you think it’d be super cute if Sugawara and Sawamura got together?”

You stopped chewing your lunch. A bunch of second-year girls at the neighbouring table had been discussing various things during the break and you tuned them out, but the mention of your boyfriend’s name caught your ear right away.

“Two boys together? Tomoko, you’re reading too much yaoi lately,” one of them said, and they all giggled.

“No, but really! Imagine!” The girl presumed to be Tomoko lowered her voice a bit. “They are captain and vice-captain of the team, right? They are together like all the time! And they work so well together! Totally cute!”

“And did you see how they smiled together!” Another girl chimed excitedly. “They are a perfect match! I’d totally pay to see them kiss!”

“Gay boys are so cuuute!”

“Totally cuuute!”

You put away your chopsticks. The food saved away by the friendly cafeteria lady somehow lost its taste and you felt nauseated.

* * *

⦁ _Exhibit #4._

“Hi! Is S-Sawamura here?”

You opened your eyes and looked up, only to see Karasuno’s female volleyball team’s captain standing at your desk.

“Hi, Machimiya.” You yawned. “No, he went out right after the break started. Would you like to leave some message or something?”

“And Sugawara?” Machimiya asked, fiddling with her thumbs.

“Same. What’s up?” You frowned. “Trouble?”

“N-no, not really,” she mumbled dejectedly. “I just wanted to talk.”

“I think they went to see Takeda,” you said, resting your chin on your hand. “With the nationals coming up and all.”

“Right.” She nodded. “Um… thanks. I’ll be…”

“There is something worrying you, isn’t there?” you asked with a gentle smile. “Come on. I can at least listen.”

“You seem just as under the weather as I am,” she pointed out and then grinned, turning around a chair from the seat in front of yours to sit down. “How about we trade?”

“That’s one way to put it.” You laughed. “On three?”

“On three!”

“One…” you started the count, “two… three!”

“Girls on my team said Sawamura and Sugawara would look good together,” Machimiya blurted out.

“Second-year fujoshi want Suga and Daichi to make-out,” you spilled at the same time.

“Oh.” Machimiya pinched her lips, twirling her thumbs again. Her eyes were suspiciously watery. “Gross, isn’t it?”

“Very,” you muttered, looking away.

* * *

⦁ _Exhibit #17._

The practice ended and you arrived at the volleyball team’s locker room just in time to see the guys leaving. You waved a hello and waited for them to come down, and then you left the school grounds in one group.

“I want to hold hands,” Suga murmured with a funny pout. The setting sun was glimmering over his hair and in his eyes and it would be a huge lie to say that he didn’t look absolutely beautiful.

You sent him a small smile. It was a little game you had a habit of playing whenever you were walking together, engaging in a challenging talk to gradate ideas - the first person to blush was the loser. It could be fun and coil the both of you into one hell of an impatient and eager mood, but there was always that nagging thought at the back of your mind that no matter how innocent of a gesture, there was no way to attempt it in public. Never mention that in what was considered a rural area for Japanese standards, even a hetero couple displaying a most insignificant PDA would be frowned upon.

You arrived at coach Ukai’s family’s shop and took your usual seats at the table. Sawamura and Ennoshita brought some notes regarding some teams they were about to face in practice matches and everyone leaned in while the captain was explaining whatever it was that needed explanations. Judging by the faces Hinata was making, he understood next to nothing, but it didn’t stop him from being excited.

Then Suga pointed out some inconsistency in the notes about Tokonami High, which led to their usual friendly bickering, or rather Suga was saying funny things and Sawamura was stoically jabbing back.

“You behave like an old couple,” Tsukishima remarked in a bored tone. “Before you get into planning your wedding, can we finish discussing this first? Not that I’m interested in either to begin with.”

You were so tired after the whole day that you didn’t as much as flinch at the sarcastic comment, and even though it must have been a joke, it still stung deep inside. No one was ever saying things like that about YOU and Suga. It was always DAICHI and Suga who “looked like a married couple”. 

Not YOU and him.

Sure, no one knew that the two of you were a couple, never mention that no one suspected either of you to be any less straight than a ruler. 

But that wasn’t the point.

You bit into your meat bun, staring sullenly at Daichi’s notes.

You didn’t notice how Suga with a little frown was intently observing your reaction.

* * *

⦁ _Exhibit #18._

“Are you okay?”

Suga glanced at you with worry and slight hesitation in his eyes.

_What is this hesitation for?, you thought. Second thoughts, maybe? Is Daichi better than me after all?_

“Mm. I’m fine.”

* * *

⦁ _Not an exhibit._

“You’re not _fine_.”

Suga stopped walking. You were still a way before parting ways to each other’s homes, currently passing a kids playground, dark and empty at such late hour.

You blinked several times.

“I’ve said-”

“Come on.” Suga’s frown deepened and he tilted his head to the side. “The past two weeks you’ve been sulking when you thought I couldn’t see. What’s going on?”

You didn’t reply at first, trying not to focus on how your stomach squeezed and made you nauseated.

“Is… uh…” Suga trudged through his words. “Are you… do you… uh…” He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “You want to break up?”

“… Huh?”

“… or… not…?”

_Oh. So that’s what the hesitation was about._

“Absolutely not!” You pressed your hand to your temple, wondering if an intense mixture of fear and desperation can make someone pass out. “I mean…” You glanced at him and immediately looked away. “You… don’t want either, right?”

Suga exhaled in relief.

“No. Of course not.”

You slowly stepped into the playground and sat down on the nearest bench, hidden from the main road by an overgrown hedge. Cicadas were quiet this night, probably hiding before predicted rain.

“I was… think… I was jealous,” you mumbled, fiddling with the strap of your schoolbag. 

You told him about that overheard conversation in the cafeteria, about all the other situations, and how it layered with all the other downhill moments the past weeks. You were staring dejectedly at the swings in front of you, but you felt on your skin that Suga was not moving his eyes from you.

“So that’s how it is,” he said quietly after you finished. “Oh man, I’m so relieved. I seriously thought you were going to dump me.”

You peeked at him and he gave you a small, sad smile. He took your hand and relaxed in his seat, tilting his head back to look at the dark, starless, cloudy sky.

“I think…” Suga paused. He entwined his fingers with yours and smiled a little wider. “I see how it upset you. I’m sorry.”

“Well, I could’ve said something earlier,” you muttered awkwardly.

“Yeah. No point in mulling over that now, though.” He squeezed your hand briefly. “But I’d appreciate if you could talk to me if anything bothers you in the future. I’m here, you know.” He turned his head to face you and beamed at you with his warmest smile. “For you.”

* * *

⦁ _Scratch exhibit #18._

⦁ _Scratch exhibits #1 to #17._

⦁ _Things will be all right._

⦁ _You can do this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Please_ talk about what bothers you in your relationships, romantic or not. Please. Communication is key. Really. It solves more problems and helps to avoid creating new ones more often than it could cause any.


	17. Kageyama Tobio - Bees in green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and yours shared shopping adventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Female reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/155670670925/teru-san-may-i-ask-scenario-of-kageyamahis-wife)
> 
>  **Request:** Teru-san~ May I ask scenario of Kageyama &his wife go shopping to buy scarves, winter jackets & stuff for their baby girl(maybe 4 or 5 months old)? I'm squealing rn 'cause I love Kags and the idea of black haired and blue eyes bby girl(✿´‿`). Thanks❤

“I like this one,” Kageyama mumbled, holding up a green onesie with a cartoony bee printed on it to show you. With his hands to scale, it looked so, so tiny and you couldn’t help but to smile.

You had been together for a long time now and Kageyama got comfortably used to your presence, obviously, but there was that happy motherly glow to your smile that made his heart flutter in an entirely new way. He smiled back at you. The toughest weeks of sleep deprivation and absolute absence of personal time - all of it being a result of caring for your newborn baby girl - were more or less behind you. You had asked Kageyama’s mother to watch over your child for a part of the afternoon, so you could be at ease and go out together.

“It’s cute,” you agreed, “but we are looking for winter clothes, remember.”

“I know.” Kageyama pouted. It was the exact same pout he had been making since high school and it never ceased to make him look rather adorable in your opinion, even though it was a rare sight the past couple of years.

He sighed and put the onesie back on the shelf.

“I’ll get you yet,” he murmured to it in a quiet warning and followed you to the section with winter clothes.

“She’s going to grow out of that size in no time, Tobio.” You giggled. Kageyama pouted again but when you giggled louder at that, he gave up and smiled.

“Oh, look.” He pointed at a green jacket… with a bee embroidered at the side. There was also a green cap with earflaps and a pompom, green mittens linked with a string, green warm pants and tiny green boots lined with fluff inside.

All with a bee pattern.

“What is it with the bees?” You laughed, looking at him with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Kageyama shrugged and looked away with a hint of a blush.

“I don’t know. She’s like a little bee.”

“From some point of view, I think it’s a _really big bee_ ,” you said, stifling another laugh fit.

Kageyama went silent for a moment, wondering what you meant, and then he snorted.

“Right.” He tilted his head to the side and ran his fingers through his hair, smiling at you warmly. His eyes narrowed almost in the same way when he was about to set a ball. He held up in both hands a puffy outfit that was a cross between an onesie and a coat, pink with bunnies on both sides of the zipper. “This one’s cute, too.”

“You really have lots of fun with it, don’t you?” you asked covering his hands with your own.

“Obviously,” he mumbled, lowering his head in hope to hide his pink face in his scarf.


	18. Sugawara Kōshi - Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga is accompanying you to choose a new family member from an animal shelter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Humour. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/164397334425/id-like-to-request-lev-and-suga-tagging-along)
> 
>  **Request:** I'd like to request Lev and Suga tagging along with their s/o to choose a pet from the animal shelter! It's up to you which animal the couples choose tho. Thanks and happy april fools ❤
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Lev](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/32956359)

The cat’s eyes were brilliantly yellow, a colour completely different from Suga’s warm brown shade, but the expression both he and the cat were showing were surprisingly similar.

“Just look at her. Poor thing, all her siblings were adopted already.” Suga knelt down and pointed at the kitten. “She really wants to be hugged by you. She’ll hug back with all three paws. And the tail, if she tries hard enough.”

“You don’t even have to convince me, really,” you said softly.

“And she’s almost as cute as you. Almost.” He grinned and stood up.

“I think that grey fur is more like you, though,” you remarked.

“Are you saying that I’m hairy?” Suga raised his eyebrows with mocked shock. “Wait, am I actually…”

“Anyway,” you cut in, shaking with giggles, “she would be comfortable in our home, and I’m sure Mrs. Mochi will like her, too.”

“Two cats, six paws,” Suga mused. “That’s a whole lot of little cute toe beans.”

“Yes. Absolutely yes.”

We turned back to go to the office to sign papers. We barely made three steps when a genius thought popped up in my mind.

“Kōshi, I have the best idea ever.”

“What is it?”

“We’ll call her _Suga_. She has the same look in her eyes as you and is as cute as you, and her fur is the same colour as your hair, that’s one reason, but… imagine everyone’s faces when we talk about her and they get _so confused_.”

Suga stared at you for full ten seconds before he answered.

“I’m in.”


	19. Kuroo Tetsurō - But you know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having conservative parents, to sum it up, is shitty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Angst. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/172735450915/scenario-with-so-fem-where-kuroo-after-a-fight)
> 
>  **Request:** Scenario with s/o fem where Kuroo (after a fight with her and she leaves) realizes how much he loves her and then bum!, a car accident, idk, something baaaad buuut very angst aaaaand if you can something nsfw pleasee, you can choose the end, graciaaaaas!
> 
> [It's gender neutral because there was no reason to make it specific, also no nsfw]

Some time later, Kuroo wondered what atrocity he could have possibly committed in his past life to deserve something like this.

* * *

It was the first time he was meeting your parents and he had been miffed since the week before, when you asked — apologetically, he had to give you that — if he could take out at least some of his piercings and cover up the tattoo on his arm, the one that you had always been seemingly so fond of. Your parents were conservative and strict, and there wasn’t really a reason to make the whole thing a pointless battle over how your shady-looking boyfriend couldn’t possibly be worth their precious child.

He got that. It wasn’t like you were keeping in touch with them all that tightly after you got a job and moved out two hours driving from your family home, so he didn’t have to put up with this stupid pretend too often. He agreed that it was better to get it over with instead of starting a drill that would fester over time and become a real bother.

It was still annoying, though, how people would judge him solely based on his appearance and skipping over his personality, intelligence, or even the fact that he had a well-paid job that required years of brainfucking education. That was how people had always been like, he kept repeating in his head. He had known that your parents were dead rigid, you never omitted that, so he sort of expected something like that would pop up eventually.

But none of that was as bad as the fact that you were the one who had to put up with them your whole life. Kuroo knew, Kuroo _saw_ what sort of trace that had left on you, what scars it gave you, metaphorically or not. 

He was seething because of it.

* * *

Then the day came and he sat next to you in the bus, then next to you in the shinkansen, and then walked alongside you out of the station — and that was when you let go of his hand. You bit your lips and stared sadly at the ground.

Conservative; no touching. _No touching._

Kuroo wondered if you were going to walk a step behind him soon as well. Or glance at him for permission to do anything. Like to speak up. Or if you were about to put on the most formal kimono you could find as soon as you stepped inside your parents’ house. Fudonshi for him included.

It was hot, the middle of Summer, and his long-sleeved white shirt was the last thing he would otherwise consider wearing right now. Your parents were about to be offended by his sweat for sure.

No touching, _no touching_. Only for two days of theatrical behaviour and then you could both go back to your regular, comfortable life in _actual_ modern times.

* * *

Your mother _was_ wearing kimono. A semi-formal one to it. She bowed to welcome you — no posed hug, no smile, not even a handshake — and Kuroo miserably realised that he had gravely underestimated what a pain in the ass the next 30 hours were going to be.

Your father was the kind Kuroo had only read about. In fiction. Or historical non-fiction. He felt like he fell into the Edo period and was stuck in seiza way longer than he had ever been (even that time his grandmother had told him to sit in the hall as a punishment for skipping school). His knees were on fire, and as for his calves and feet… did he still have them?

You were made to sit nearly a metre apart and only your father and Kuroo talked during the dinner — that was, your father was _asking_ , and Kuroo was _answering_.

Your father didn’t seem to be impressed, no matter how long Kuroo’s list of education and qualifications was. Then, your mother leaned over and whispered to her husband, covering her lips gracefully with her hand. Your father tightened his lips and nodded. Kuroo suspected that he didn’t want to know what was that about.

* * *

You slept in separate rooms. Kuroo barely managed to say say goodnight to you before your mother dragged you out of the living room to take a bath together, and Kuroo himself was left at the mercy of your father. Father didn’t deem necessary to speak any more, so the two were stiffly poised at the low table. Kuroo’s eyes were wandering around the room, anywhere to avoid the old man’s stare, and he _knew_ he was being observed.

He started hoping, praying that the whole thing was an elaborate joke and everyone would soon jump into the room, spraying confetti and shouting “got you!” or something of the sort.

But the first day passed, and tomorrow by that time you and him would be back in your shared flat, doing everything that you were being deprived of at the moment.

* * *

During breakfast your mother asked you to stay one day longer.

Kuroo almost spat out his tea, but by avoiding that he choked, and his forced coughing was as obvious of an reaction as it was ever possible. Your mother’s face turned sour, and your father pretended that neither the question nor Kuroo’s fail happened.

At least that was what Kuroo had thought, because after the breakfast was over, your father announced that he had rebooked your tickets for the morning.

Morning three days later, in fact.

Kuroo knew exactly what you had been telling him — to get it over with, check the visit out of the list, and live in peace and without worrying about your parents after. To just go along with them for two days, put on a show and get them off your backs. That there was no point in aggravating them, that some people — including your parents — would use even the smallest, petty things to make your lives miserable, and that the best solution would be just to avoid them.

But right now Kuroo was pissed and decided that maybe, just maybe, pushing back at your family with the same cold stubbornness could be worth trying.

Less than an hour later he discovered that he could not have been more wrong.

* * *

Kuroo got to his feet and said many things — _shouted_ many things, to be precise — and his sole attitude was enough to make your mother’s face take on the most outraged, scandalised expression he’d ever seen on anyone.

Your father’s look didn’t change. He stood up and walked up to Kuroo, and in a calm, unwavering voice, he slashed out a whole blizzard of a reply, but you didn’t stay in the daily room to listen. You ran out of your house, into your garden. Kuroo left after you.

Both of you barefoot.

Kuroo called your name and when you didn’t react — _you must have heard it for sure_ — he gritted his teeth and sped up; he was way more fit than you and he would catch up soon enough. You ran out of the garden and crossed the road, and slowed down to a quick march along the pavement. Towards the station, if he was guessing right.

He didn’t cross the street, but he kept up with your pace and walked along on the other side. He heard how you sniffled and saw how you wiped your face with your sleeve. He waited for some car and a truck to pass before he called your name again.

“Come on—”

“Why did you do that?!” you yelled. You stopped walking and turned to him, face wet from tears and flushed red. “Why did you have to do that?! How hard would it be to wait just a bit longer?!”

“They treat you like a possession!” Kuroo scowled. “Do you even realise what he did?! Just like that! They don’t give a—”

“Did you even listen to me all that time?!” you cut in. “I told you what they are like! I told you how it’s best to pass around it! How do you think I managed to live on my own all this time?! How stupid do you think I am?!”

“And you wanted me to sit there like everything was okay?! After they pull a move like that?!”

“When did I say that they are okay?!” Your voice was more of a raspy wail than an angry shout at this point. “I told you! Why couldn’t you just trust me on this and get through this together?”

You hid your face in your hands and your shoulders shook.

“What’s going to happen now?” you choked out.

Kuroo could feel how all anger seeped out of him like from a cracked cup. His scowl disappeared, replaced with a guilty frown.

“You’re right,” he said after a moment. “And I messed up.”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“Crap. I seriously messed up.” He stared after a passing motorbike to avert his gaze.

You sniffed and patted your face dry with your sleeve.

“Yeah. You really did.”

“… I’m sorry.” Kuroo glanced at you and noticed with relief that you were looking back at him, still overwhelmingly sad, but not angry any more.

“I know. I know you are, Tetsu.” You sighed, too. “We have to come up with a damn effective way to apologise now…”

“If I can stay in seiza for six hours, you can bet I can do dogeza for twelve,” he drawled, and to his delight you giggled.

“It actually might come to that… I’m not joking,” you remarked, but then you smiled. You stepped off the pavement and Kuroo spread his arms to invite you into a hug that he already knew was coming. “ _But you know, Tetsu—_ ”

Neither of you had checked if the road was clear.

It wasn’t.

You were smiling to him, walking quick — and then you weren’t, you were lying on the asphalt, tossed there like a rag doll hit by a truck, and you weren’t smiling, you weren’t moving.

And you were so close. The tips of your fingers of your limp arm, stretched out towards him like a sick joke from the fate, were not even three steps away from him.

The scream that left Kuroo’s throat didn’t sound human. 

His legs gave up under him and he dropped to his knees and forwards to his hands, and he crawled to you, deaf to whatever the horrified driver of the truck was yelling.

There was blood trickling from your nose, and your limbs were laying at angles that should not be possible. Your eyes were wide open, blinking rapidly, and you caught a sight of him, _you must have_ , because you looked at him and only then tears started flowing down your face.

“Tetsu—”

You choked and instead of more words, red foam bubbled up in your mouth and blood stained your lips.

“Don’t speak, don’t—” Kuroo uttered. He pressed his hand to your cheek so deep in shock that he was at complete loss at what to do. He heard the driver talking on a phone, _right, ambulance, he should call—_

—his phone was in his bag, in the room upstairs. But the driver was calling for an ambulance, _yes, that was it_ , driver was yelling for them to hurry up, _yes, HURRY UP—_

“ _Tetsu— I’m—_ ”

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare say you’re sorry or whatever, don’t strain yourself, ambulance is coming, and—”

_And—_

* * *

_But you know, Tetsu—_

_But you know, Tetsu—_

_Tetsu—_

Knew what?


	20. Haiba Lev - One?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lev goes to heaven on earth. With you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Details:** General Audiences. Fluff. Humour. Gender neutral reader. [On tumblr here.](http://aeteru.tumblr.com/post/164397334425/id-like-to-request-lev-and-suga-tagging-along)
> 
>  **Request:** I'd like to request Lev and Suga tagging along with their s/o to choose a pet from the animal shelter! It's up to you which animal the couples choose tho. Thanks and happy april fools ❤
> 
>  **Other characters from the request:** [Sugawara](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9256841/chapters/26806620)

Lev was in heaven.

The heaven was located at Bogside Road number 12 in St. Petersburg, had greyish-brown walls on the outside and white walls on the inside, smelled of litter box and cat food, and was filled with meowing.

“Look at them all!” Lev nudged you with his elbow. His eyes were sparkling; he was turning his head side to side to watch everything so fast that you were afraid he would break his neck.

“We have plenty of time, Lev,” you reminded, grabbing his hand gently and pulling him back to slow him down. “Don’t rush so much. I can’t keep up with you if you run around, you know that…” You pouted, knowing well that it was the best move to convince him.

Lev huffed and pouted back at you, but he squeezed your hand back and nodded.

“There are so many cats,” he whined. “I’ve never seen that many at once! How are we supposed to pick just _one_?”

You pinched your lips, staring with narrowed eyes at all the pets waiting to be adopted.

“… maybe we could adopt… two?”

You left the shelter with three.


End file.
